The venerable Gold Spike in downtown Las Vegas now has retro Wednesdays.

The venerable Gold Spike in downtown Las Vegas now has retro Wednesdays.

Photo: Hector Saldana / San Antonio Express-News

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The building that houses the Beat Coffeehouse also houses the Burlesque Hall of Fame and Downtown Films.

The building that houses the Beat Coffeehouse also houses the Burlesque Hall of Fame and Downtown Films.

Photo: Hector Saldana / San Antonio Express-News

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The giant mantis at the Container Park blows real fire in Freemont East.

The giant mantis at the Container Park blows real fire in Freemont East.

Photo: Hector Saldana / San Antonio Express-News

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The Royal Hounds play rockabillly at the Griffin in Freemont East on Tuesdays.

The Royal Hounds play rockabillly at the Griffin in Freemont East on Tuesdays.

Photo: Hector Saldana / San Antonio Express-News

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Fremont East is a hipster, foodie, DJ paradise where the neon comes alive at night.

Fremont East is a hipster, foodie, DJ paradise where the neon comes alive at night.

Photo: Hector Saldana / San Antonio Express-News

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Container Park offers 38 destinations.

Container Park offers 38 destinations.

Photo: Hector Saldana / San Antonio Express-News

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The giant yellow hydrant at the Hydrant Club doggie daycare center is one of the area landmarks.

The giant yellow hydrant at the Hydrant Club doggie daycare center is one of the area landmarks.

Photo: Hector Saldana / San Antonio Express-News

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Fremont East is a hipster, foodie, DJ paradise. The Griffin is one of the great bars in the district.

Fremont East is a hipster, foodie, DJ paradise. The Griffin is one of the great bars in the district.

Photo: Hector Saldana / San Antonio Express-News

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The Hydrant Club is one of the new businesses in Fremont East.

The Hydrant Club is one of the new businesses in Fremont East.

Photo: Hector Saldana / San Antonio Express-News

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Zip line is one of the attractions at Fremont Street Experience.

Zip line is one of the attractions at Fremont Street Experience.

Photo: Hector Saldana / San Antonio Express-News

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Fremont East is a hipster, foodie, DJ paradise. Dozens of dogs romp at the Hydrant Club in Fremont East District.

Fremont East is a hipster, foodie, DJ paradise. Dozens of dogs romp at the Hydrant Club in Fremont East District.

Photo: Hector Saldana / San Antonio Express-News

Find a hip vibe in Vegas at Fremont East

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LAS VEGAS — I’m a downtown Vegas kinda guy.

I like the Rat Rack vibe or at least the last glitzy vestiges of it at the Golden Gate, Binion’s, the Fremont and the 4 Queens.

Downtown, one can still find $5 minimums for single-deck blackjack and craps. Not to mention the cheap drinks and plaid slacks.

Sure, the clientele — some of them surely down on their luck — reflects that. The flashy Las Vegas Strip of a “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” episode this isn’t.

But the generally lower prices, casual dress code and the ease of getting around on foot under the shady Fremont Street Experience, the five-block pedestrian mall under a 90-foot canopy linking the old casinos, makes for a fun playground — by Bourbon Street standards.

It comes alive at night with a brilliant light show and rock music by the Who.

Lately, a seductive new muse beckons. It’s called Fremont East, a small area nearby, bound by Ogden Avenue to the north, Maryland Parkway to the east, Carson Avenue to its south and Las Vegas Boulevard (the seedier edge of the Strip) to the west.

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The district — a once-decaying, high-crime area now transformed to reflect the national obsession with hand-crafted beer, food trends, specialty-batch coffee, hipster fashion, DJ culture and condo living — is traversed by Fremont Street.

Where Vegas vacations often came down to the Strip vs. downtown when traveling with friends, it’s now time to include Fremont East no matter where you’re staying.

My friends and I discovered the Fremont East area last year when we stayed at the sleek new Downtown Grand hotel and casino built on the site of the Lady Luck catering to a younger demographic.

It wasn’t the only evidence of change.

Right across the street, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement (better known as the Mob Museum), established inside a former federal courthouse where the Kefauver Committee held hearings on organized crime in 1950, is an incredible three-story exhibit.

Likewise, Pizza Rock is the kind of hip eating establishment not associated with downtown Vegas. And the venerable Gold Spike now offers retro roller disco parties on the third Wednesday of the month.

On that visit, we ventured into the Griffin, a cocktail bar whose decor resembles a wine cellar or a dungeon — take your pick. It’s on the way to the historic El Cortez Hotel & Casino but we’d never stopped in before because the area was so raunchy. It was better to keep moving back then (just a few years ago). The drinks are stiff; the jukebox, a killer. Sometimes a rockabilly band plays in the backroom on Tuesdays.

We did manage to make it a little farther east and take a quick peek at the Downtown Container Park, an unusual modular shopping and restaurant commercial development creatively constructed out of railroad cars that somehow managed not to look like train cars at all. Cool.

The Mob Museum: The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement is a world-class tourist stop. It’s educational, fun and even a bit eerie to see the faces of 20th century mafiosos and the reconstructed actual wall of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago. 300 Stewart Ave., 702-229-2734, themobmuseum.org

11th Street Records: Absolutely gorgeous stand-alone space on Fremont Street where vinyl record collectors can finds gems like “Sammy Davis Jr. at the Cocoanut Grove” for $9 and “Glad All Over” by the Dave Clark Five for $5 and in mint condition. The building is also the home of National Southwestern Recording studio. 1023 Fremont St., 702-527-7990, 11thstreetrecords.

Pizza Rock: Located near the Downtown Grand, this is the place to go for a variety of gourmet pizza cooked in one of its four distinct ovens. Killer appetizers, too, from fried artichokes to classic meatballs in red sauce. Full bar. 201 N. Third St. (at Ogden), 702-385-0838, pizzarocklasvegas

Atomic Liquors: Known as Virgina’s Cafe in the 1940s and as a site where customers could watch atomic tests from its roof, Atomic Liquors open in 1952 and is the oldest freestanding bar in Las Vegas. Its neon sign and wraparound bar are Rat Pack-era landmarks here at this funky lounge seen in “Casino” and “The Hangover.” Casual. 917 Fremont St., 702-349-2283, atomiclasvegas.com

The Griffin: With its vaulted ceiling and rustic brick interior, the Griffin could pass for either a dungeon, wine cellar or close cousin to Liverpool’s Cavern Club. It’s a jumping place at night, and its back room is used for dancing and live music on Tuesdays. 511 Fremont St., 702-382-0577

Park on Fremont: Hand-crafted cocktails here sport names such as Wolf Like Me, Pedal Power, Trophy Wife, the Unicorn and Pillow Talk. Enjoy them indoors at the small bar or at its hip patio. During happy hour try the garbage fries or the fried pickles. It’s a nice place for brunch, too. 506 Fremont St., 702-834-3160, parkonfremont.com

Bunkhouse Saloon: Combination live music venue, restaurant and hipster bar, the Bunkhouse is the chance to see local and touring acts like Dawes, the Melvins and including San Antonio’s own Piñata Protest. Short rib sandwiches, fried chicken and grits and gravy are on the menu. Craft beer on tap. 124 S. 11th St., 702-854-1414, bunkhousedowntown.com

Where to stay

Downtown Grand Las Vegas: The beauty of this new downtown hotel is that it’s near the Fremont Street Experience fun but not right in the middle of it. That’s a relief during a long stay. The Grand has three bars: Furnace, Art Bar and the Pool Deck. The gaming is first-rate, too. 206 N. Third St., 702-719-5100

Last month, my friends and I arrived on a mission: Get to know Fremont East.

The first thing we realized is that our first impression wasn’t a fluke or a hangover buzz. The district has continued to grow and develop as an alternative to gambling and prime rib specials.

We hadn’t even rolled our luggage across the street when two skinny young dudes sped by on skateboards in that direction.

Soon enough, we’d be enjoying the so-called garbage fries at Park on Fremont, an open air cafe and bar whose interior decorator may have taken inspiration from Anthony Perkins’ Norman Bates character in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho.” We talked to the owner of a doggy daycare center, checked out a vinyl records store, an indie bookshop and had shots at Atomic Liquors.

Walking across Las Vegas Boulevard and leaving the Fremont Street Experience in the proverbial rearview mirror is akin to the scene in “The Wizard of Oz,” where the 1939 film goes from black and white to color. It’s another world — but not so unfamiliar.

There are echoes of Southtown in S.A., East Fifth Street in Austin (or South Congress Avenue), “Portlandia,” Magazine Street in New Orleans, Foggy Bottom in Washington, D.C., and Williamsburg in Brooklyn. In Vegas, that can feel like a much-needed break.

That holds true for locals, too.

Ashton Caligone, 29, who grew up in Houston, watched his daughter playing inside the massive, landscaped children’s area that serves as the hub for Downtown Container Park. He loves the changes to the neighborhood. “It’s amazing. Its brought so much life,” said Ashton, a children’s counselor.

“(Fremont East) has brought more culture to Vegas. We didn’t have culture here before. Downtown has a lot to offer. Locals don’t go the Strip.”

It’s kooky, yes. Kirk Jellum’s metal sculpture known as The Mantis is the landmark at Downtown Container Park. It stands 40 feet tall, 30 feet wide and is built at a 150:1 scale. It spouts flames at night. Less flashy but just as intriguing is the Beat Coffeehouse & Records that houses the Burlesque Hall of Fame, Downtown Films and Emergency Arts Gallery.

Two years ago, former Silicon Valley businesswoman Cathy Brooks decided to get in on the changes happening in Fremont East. Zappos founder Tony Hsieh's Downtown Project sparked much of the development.

She opened the Hydrant Club, a day care for dogs. It is a beautiful peace of green space on the street. “Tastes are changing, times are changing,” said Brooks, explaining the unusual gentrification here.

“You’re never going to replace the juggernaut of gambling. But this is a larger movement. It’s an augmentation of the Vegas experience.”

Likewise, the owners of the Writers Block, an independent book shop, wondered aloud “how is it all going to play out?”

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The answer just might be found in the colorful and outlandish modern art murals painted by artists Fintan Magee and Maser now decorating forgotten buildings on the fringes, or in the bustle of construction projects refurbishing old spaces or the blinding white of The Ogden condominiums at Ogden and North Las Vegas Boulevard.